Strawberry Shrieks
by Kitty Kat K.O
Summary: The fun carries on as the Mew Mews are taken to spend a week in Ryou's Summer House. But for Ichigo, it may not be as fun as she thought. Doing whatever Ryou tells her to for a whole week isn't her idea of a holiday. RxI Sequel to Prank Wars. UPDATED!
1. What to Do with Boys

…I really shouldn't start another story, should I? I'd have way too many on the go. However, it's the sequel to Prank Wars, so I think you'll forgive me…

KKKO: As I found in Prank Wars, friends doing disclaimers are pretty hard to control. So this time…oh, what's the use! I've made the same mistake! Steph! Come here!

Stephanie: Another mission? I just got back from the last one! Or, do you want me to do the disclaimer?

KKKO: The latter.

Stephanie: A litter of kittens - how cute!

KKKO: No, Stephi, the latter means…Never mind, plz do the disclaimer for me?

Stephanie: OK! No-one owns TMM, except for the people who own it!

KKKO: In short, I don't own TMM. Mia Ikumi and Reiko Yoshida do. Right, I'm not going to keep you in suspense much longer, onto the story!!

Chapter 1

What to Do with Boys

Sunshine poured through the open curtains, bathing the room in it's golden glow. A soft, gentle breeze blew in through the window. From where she lay, tangled in the mass of bed sheets, the catgirl stirred. Her eyelids fluttered as she woke. However, she took one look at the clock and fell right back to sleep.

He entered slowly and cautiously, careful not to disturb the red-head. She looked so peaceful, sleeping serenely, lost in her dreamworld. Such a shame he had to destroy that calmness.

"Koneko-chan," he called softly. He did it a couple more times at that volume, but soon found he had to shout to be noticed. "KONEKO-CHAN!"

Jumping at least a foot in the air, Ichigo let out a shriek, clutching the covers closely to her chest. Her head turned sharply from side to side, trying to see this mystery person. Well, it wasn't really that much of a mystery…

"KISH!" she yelled.

Appearing behind her, the intruding alien wrapped one arm around her waist and planted the other firmly over her mouth. He glanced around nervously, hoping her parents hadn't heard her shout.

"Hush, Koneko-chan!" he whispered. "I don't think your mother and father will take too kindly to me sneaking into your room."

The Iriomote nodded and Kish released her from his grasp.

"One question," she began as soon as she was free to speak. "Since when do you say 'take too kindly'?"

He grinned at her mischievously. "Since I started insulting your ex-boyfriend."

"Kish," Ichigo sighed. Suddenly, she realised something. Something quite important.

"What are you doing in my room?!" she shrieked.

"Shirogane asked me to come get you," he replied.

The catgirl nodded her head. _Must be sick of me being late,_ she thought.

Still though, she questioned, "Why?"

"Did you forget what today is already Koneko-chan?"

Ichigo grinned sheepishly as she nodded her head. He rolled his eyes.

"Wait until Shirogane hears that you forgot about going to his summer house," Kish cried.

"NYA!" she shrieked. "That was today! I haven't even packed yet!" Leaping out of her bed she scrambled around her room, searching for all the stuff she would need. Snatching her suitcase from underneath her bed, she began grabbing handfuls of clothes and stuffing them inside. In less than five minutes she had managed to pack almost all of her clothes. The only things left were her underwear…

"Ooh, I like this Koneko-chan!" Kish grinned slyly.

Ichigo's eyes started to twitch, fearing the worst. Slowly she twisted around to face the alien. The sight that met her was worse than a nightmare…Kish holding one of her bras…

5. 4. 3. 2. 1.

"KISH!!" Ichigo exploded. "HOW DARE YOU! PUT THAT BACK NOW!!!"

Her face was scarlet, steam could literally be seen rising from her head and her teeth were gritted together.

"Ichigo?" came a call from the other side of the door. "Are you ok, honey?"

"I'm fine," Ichigo replied whilst gesturing for Kish to keep his mouth shut.

"Alright sweetie," said her mother. The sound of footsteps could be heard as the woman made her way down the stairs.

Taking this as an opportunity, Ichigo threw herself onto Kish. Not having seen this coming, the alien had no time to get out of the way. He was pinned to the floor as Ichigo began clawing for her bra. After a minute or so, Kish realised she couldn't get it and smirked slyly. He started to fight back and it wasn't long before they were having a wrestling match. For a while it seemed as though Kish was winning, however, from out of nowhere, a small grey kitten jumped in the way and snatched the item from his hands.

Looking straight at the kitten, Ichigo's eyes widened in horror. Kish was highly confused, even more so when a muttering emitted from the red-head that he could make out as a, "Oh no…"

Stretching her arm out, she ordered firmly, "Give it back."

The alien was quite surprised when the cat smirked before being surrounded by a glowing blue light. The animal grew bigger and bigger, slowly but surely taking on human form.

Finally the transformation was complete and the blue light faded to reveal

"Shirogane?!"

Ichigo turned to her friend, saying, "Did you not know Shirogane can also turn into a kitten?"

He shook his head keeping his eyes locked on the blonde boy.

Removing the bra from his teeth, Ryou chuckled. "Should be careful with things like this," he teased, reaching out to hand it to her.

Scrunching her face up in disgust, Ichigo said, "I don't want it now."

"So I can keep it?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

Her mouth became agape as she stared at him, disbelief filling her gaze. Her reaction, though, was unexpected. Instead of blowing up at him as per usual, she flopped onto her stomach, grabbed her pillow and screamed into it. Both boys were rather puzzled by this, however they didn't say anything.

"Ahh! Why are boys so…so - arrgh!"

Rolling his eyes, Ryou said, "Come on baka Strawberry. Better get a move on with your packing or else we'll leave without you. You've got five minutes."

"But I haven't even got dressed yet! Not to mention the fact that I need a shower!"

An idea suddenly popped into Kish's head. "We'll finish your packing, Koneko-chan. You go get ready," he offered. She thanked him and dashed off and into the bathroom, making sure to lock the door behind her.

Folding his arms once she was gone, Ryou said, "I'm not packing for her."

"You do know all she's got left is her underwear. And if you get to keep something, I want one aswell."

"Sick pervert," muttered Ryou.

"Nah, not all the time now. Just occasionally," Kish laughed.

Ryou smirked.

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Ten minutes later, Ichigo entered her bedroom. She had finished her shower and was now wrapped in only a towel. Poor Ichigo. She just had to forget there were two boys in her room till didn't she?

"EYAH!! Shirogane! Kish! Get out of my room!" she screamed, beginning to throw inanimate objects at them.

"Hey! Ow! Ok! Ok! We're going! OW!" Kish cried, raising his arms to shield his face. Ryou copied his example, though without the screeching. He transformed into a cat and hopped out the bedroom window. Kish teleported outside and met up with him. They waited around the corner of the street for fifteen minutes as the cat-girl dressed herself and said her goodbyes to her family. Making a run for it, she rounded the corner but came to an abrupt halt when she did.

"What are you doing here still?" she asked the boys.

"Waiting for you. Here, give it," Ryou said, grasping Ichigo's suitcase with on hand and her hand with his other. He dragged her along the path and in the direction of Café Mew Mew.

Her ears sprung out as did her tail at the sudden contact. A slight blush stained her cheeks. It had been several weeks since their little prank fight and Ichigo had come to the conclusion she couldn't have a crush on her boss. Ryou had always been a jerk to her. He'd always picked on her and teased her. What she thought she had felt during the prank war was probably a misunderstanding. Either that or she was on the rebound after Masaya, which she really hoped it wasn't. However, the other Mews had been countering every argument she put up about her feelings for the blonde. If she said she didn't, they would say she did. If she said she couldn't, they said she could, and so on until it got to the point where Ichigo just gave up.

They were almost at the café now. The big pink building was looming ahead of them. Ichigo's blush deepened, thoughts of what her friends would say if they saw Ryou holding her hand flooding through her head.

Thankfully, he dropped his hold on her when they came into clear view of Café Mew Mew.

After loading all the bags into both cars, it was only a matter of who would be in who's car for the drive down that needed to be decided. But really, it was more of an argument. No-one wanted to get anywhere near Keiichiro when he was driving (poor thing). Ryou was laughing, sarcastically boasting that he had suddenly become popular.

In the end, Pai was called upon to choose who would go with Ryou and who would suffer the nauseating journey with the brunette. The eldest alien picked Ichigo, Kish, Minto and Tart with Ryou and everyone else were left with Keiichiro.

This was going to be one interesting trip…

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**A/N: **Not my best but it **will **get better. Hopefully it'll get funnier too. This chapter wasn't all that good in my opinion, but if you want me to update then you're going to have to review!! Once they get to the summer house next chapter, things will improve.

Oh yeah, and this story will link back to something in Chapter 6 of Prank Wars, but you'll have to guess what!!


	2. Annoying the Iriomote: Any way Possible

I've kind of got a problem at the minute - for some reason my profile won't save after I've made changes to it!!! It's so annoying!! If anyone knows why this is happening or how I can change it, please let me know!!!

Anyway, now that's over with… I know I haven't updated my stories very quickly recently. Since I'm in a year that has major exams, my teachers are giving everyone tones of homework and making us work even harder! I had two projects due in the same week!! At least the deadline got extended for one of them… But I'm going to try and update as often as I can, probably updating one story, then the next and so on. This way, they'll all get updated.

So I'm sorry if I'm making you all wait so long!

Alright, I'll start the story now. I do not, have not and will never own TMM.

Chapter 2

Annoying the Iriomote: Any Way Possible

They had several hours to travel. Several hours of sitting still, just talking about pretty much anything. And once they were out of topics there would be silence. Unbearable silence. How boring would that be?

But as Ichigo sat in the back seat, wedged between Kish and Tart, she found that there was no way on the planet this journey could be boring.

"Ahh! Why do I have to sit next to the old hag?" Tart complained.

"I am _not_ an old hag!" Ichigo snapped at his comment.

"It's not fair!" the young alien wailed.

"I know and I'm sorry, but the only person who actually wanted to sit next to her is Kish, so someone had to suffer," Ryou answered with a feigned innocence. What annoyed Ichigo more than his remark, though, was the fact he was being nice to Tart!

Going in a huff rather than shouting back - for she knew far too well she would only get teased all the more - she began to stare out the window. In less than a minute, she had drifted off into her own little world, thinking about this and that; especially what they would be doing at the summer house, what it was like and why Ryou even had a summer house anyway…why did he have a summer house?! Why hadn't he ever told them about it before? Why hadn't he ever taken them there before?

A sudden urge to shout at the boy arose in the Iriomote, but she suppressed it when she heard what everyone was talking about now. Her.

"…such a baka. Is she still zoned out?"

"Not sure. Why does she daydream all of the time?"

"Because she likes to fantasize about her life with a certain someone."

"Ooh, ooh! Is it me?"

"No Kish-kun, it's not. It's someone else in the car though."

"Hmm…Tat-Tar?"

"Eww no! Why would that old hag like me? That's gross and wrong!"

"I'll give you a clue. They're in the front of the car."

"…anou…YOU!! KONEKO-CHAN LOVES YOU MINTO-CHAN!!"

"NO WAY!!"

Everyone turned to stare at Ichigo, except Ryou who had to keep his eyes on the road. Although he did shoot glances at her through the mirror.

"Minto-chan is my best friend! Why would I have a crush on her?!" she screeched.

Ryou chuckled lightly. "Nice to see you're back with us, baka," he said, smirking.

She glared at him, saying slowly and firmly, "I. Am. Not. A. Baka!"

"Could've fooled me," he muttered, but with her sharp hearing Ichigo heard it.

Her eyes practically shot daggers at him. "I hate you," she announced.

"I know."

Suddenly a cry erupted from beside Ichigo. "I've got it!"

"Finally," Minto sighed, though inside she was grinning. This was going to be funny.

"It's Shirogane. He's the only one left in the car we haven't said. Unless Koneko-chan loves herself, but she isn't sitting in the front so…" Kish continued to have a debate with himself and after a while came to the conclusion it _had_ to be the blond. Which he declared very, _very _loudly.

Shirogane himself smirked. Looking into the mirror he noted the catgirl's ears and tail had sprung out and her face was an even deeper shade of red than her hair - how that was possible, he had no idea.

"Can we drop the subject, please?" Ichigo asked meekly, trying her hardest to make her cat accessories disappear and to conceal her blush. However, both she was failing at miserably.

"Why should we? Talking about your love life is fun," argued Minto, crossing her legs and folding her arms. A sly smile etched itself onto her face, one which she hoped her friend wouldn't see. Neither did she want Ryou to see. She would surely get an earful if he knew she was up to no good.

"It's not fun for me!" Ichigo wailed, letting go of her ears for a second to flap her arms around for emphasis.

"Me neither! Who wants to talk about _her_ boyfriends?" Tart said, sticking his tongue out at the girl beside him. Ichigo just stared back at him, shocked he had actually taken her side.

"So you want to talk about your love life with Purin-chan?" Kish teased.

"It would be more interesting - wait, HEY!! Don't do that!" he exclaimed.

Everyone laughed whilst Tart folded his arms across his chest, pouting, though his cheeks were as red as tomatoes.

"How long until we get there?" Ichigo asked, once the chuckling had died down.

"An hour or two," Ryou replied.

"Nani?! Why's it going to take that long?" she shrieked.

"Maybe because the Summer House is in Nagasaki and we've already been traveling about an hour," Minto explained matter of factly. **(A/N: I have no idea how long it takes to get from Tokyo to Nagasaki by car so I'm going to make it about 3-4 hours)**

Ichigo grumbled something about a 'know-it-all' then began staring out the window. Kish took it that she was in fact staring at him and looked back at her. Then Tart decided she was sitting too close to him and he started prodding her in her right shoulder. After a minute or so of this, Ichigo became aggravated. And thus, she started whining.

"Stop it!"

"NO! You're almost sitting on top of me! Your big butt will crush me!"

"Aww, Koneko-chan, why did you stop staring at me?"

"I was never staring at you and OW! Tart pack it in!"

"I will," prod prod "when you," prod prod "get off me!"

"I'm not ON you!"

"Sit on Kish's knee! And stop shouting at me you old hag!"

"Yeah, Koneko-chan you can sit on me instead."

"I'm not on HIM in the first place!"

"Yes you are!"

"Midget."

"What'd you just call me?"

"Midget. Midget. Midget. Midget. Midget. Midget."

"I'm not a midget you old hag!"

"SHUT UP!"

The sudden yell from the front seat stopped the argument. Ichigo felt much like a small child after having her favourite toy taken off her. She pouted and wouldn't say a word for the next five minutes. But as soon as that five minutes was up, she took a chance and muttered something to the young alien next to her: "Midget."

"What did you call me?!"

And this is why Shirogane pulled over the car, forced Ichigo and Minto to switch places and Ichigo ended up having to sit beside Ryou for the remainder of the journey.

"That'll teach you to disobey me, won't it Strawberry?" Ryou asked, smirking, referring to his yell before.

She hissed at him and shot a death glare then turned away, arms crossed, her eyes focused on the road ahead. It wasn't long though before she was sat fiddling with her hair with one hand and using her other arm to prop her head off the window. She watched outside intently, making a mental note of everything she saw so as to confer with Purin later. Since they were in separate cars, Purin and Ichigo had decided that whatever they saw, they would talk about later. Although she had thought it to be quite boring at first, Ichigo had agreed after receiving the 'puppy eyes' from her smaller friend. Oh yeah, there was also the little matter of Purin, with a trembling lip, saying that her and her siblings always did it if they ever went anywhere.

So far, the red-head hadn't seen much that would interest her, however, she was sure it was because she had only started looking.

For some reason, Ichigo was now being unusually quiet. Although it didn't seem like it, Ryou was becoming worried. He kept glancing at her. Her expression was always the same. A small frown had painted itself on her features, her gaze seemed to be drifting - probably spaced out. He shook his head and continued driving.

But Ichigo was fine. She was just deep in thought. Which was very weird, for her at least. She kept thinking back to the prank war and what might have happened if…

She sighed and turned to look at her boss. He was concentrating on driving at the moment. _He looks so cute…no! Bad Ichi! Stop thinking about him like that! Never think about him like that!_ she scolded herself.

Twisting away to hide her blush, Ichigo grinned to herself. However, her mind drifted to her other friends. She wondered how they were doing…

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"AHHHHH!"

Keiichiro veered left.

"AHHHHH!"

Keiichiro veered right.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

Keiichiro drove in a straight line.

"You just had to put me in a car with him," Zakuro hissed to Pai who was sat beside her.

The poor alien didn't know what he was more afraid of right then: an angry Zakuro or Keiichiro's driving…or Purin, who seemed to be enjoying it…

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"Ten minutes and we'll be there," Ryou called out. Everyone seemed to be getting sick of the ride so they all perked up at this announcement.

And sure enough, ten minutes later, the five of them were staring at the biggest house they had ever seen.

_Summer House…more like a Summer Mansion. No wait, I think it's bigger than a mansion… _Ichigo thought as she stared up at the long brick walls stretching several hundred meters either side of her. There were four tall turrets, like on a fairytale castle Ichigo had seen in a book somewhere. It also reminded her of Café Mew Mew, but with one difference - it wasn't painted pink.

Birds gathered in flocks atop the slate roof…or was it granite…or some other stone that was dark in colour? Ivy crept up the sides of the building, tangling itself around anything and everything. Several of the windows were stained glass: blue windows, green windows, purple, orange, yellow, pink. Vast gardens spread for as far as the eye could see, their beauty somewhat intoxicating. Water features such as fountains, streams and waterfalls ran through them; flowers dotted many, sometimes completely engulfing every inch of each field of grass; there was a maze with bushes grown high to be the walls and they too held many flowers; and in the distance sat an old willow tree, it's branches sweeping the floor, an aura of superiority surrounding it. The clouds swirled around in the sky, covering the sun for a moment then wisping off, following the current of the wind that had picked up slightly. It whipped up the ends of Ichigo's hair, twirling them, making them dance.

_Yep, I was right. Definitely bigger than a mansion. More like a palace if you ask me,_ she thought.

"Long time since I've been here," Ryou whispered, and although it was supposed to be heard only by himself, she heard it too.

"Well," Ichigo grinned, her tone suggesting she was expecting something.

"Well what?" he asked.

"Aren't you going to take us in, or are we going to stand out here the rest of the day?"

"I was thinking of keeping you outside, baka," he smirked.

"You can't do that!"

"Yes I can," he retorted, placing his hands on his hips and cocking an eyebrow.

"What did you say?" Ichigo asked, pretending not to have heard the remark.

"I said. Yes. I. Can."

"How?"

"Remember that time you painted my room pink…?"

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**A/N: **Took me a while to write this. May have something to do with the fact that for starters I'm ill and shouldn't be on the computer anyway, and secondly my computer kinda crashed over the weekend when I was hoping to post this chapter. So instead, I'm off school and typing this.

Hope you enjoyed it! And for anyone who has read Competition Mew Mew, I'm working on it right now…ok, maybe once my headache's gone. PLZ REVIEW!!!!!!


	3. A Promise is A Promise

I'm just going to get straight to the disclaimer for this chapter! And this time, none of the crazy random people that normally do my disclaimers will do it today. No, this time a special guest will.

Passion: You're replacing us?!

KKKO: Yep! Jhaede is going to do the disclaimer today!

Passion: That's not fair! Hate ya kiddo!

KKKO: No you don't. Now where is Jhaede?

Jhaede: Here! Before I do the disclaimer, can I chase Passion round and round the room with a laser?

KKKO: Of course you can! As long as it's a pink laser.

Jhaede: Why?

KKKO: Cos she's scared of pink!

Jhaede: Okies! (grabs pink laser and begins to chase Passion round room with it)

Passion: AHHHHH!! WHY ARE PEOPLE SO SCARY!!

KKKO: People aren't scary! Just cos you're an alien…

Jhaede: Wait…Passion's an alien?

KKKO: Yep! But she's more afraid of you than you ever will be of her.

Passion: And why, exactly is that?

Jhaede: Helloo!! Forgetting something? (gestures to pink laser of doom and destruction in her hand)

Passion: Heh heh…RUNNNNNNNN!!!!! (begins charging all over the room with Jhaede chasing her)

KKKO: She's not allowed to kill you, silly!

Jhaede: I'm not?!

KKKO: Nope! Because covering her in make-up is much worse than death…

Jhaede: Ohhh… I getcha! But before I can do anything about it, I have a certain job to get out of the way. Kitty doesn't own TMM, never has, never will. Ok - now to irritate Passion!!

KKKO: Enjoy the story!!

Chapter 3

A Promise is a Promise

"I SAID WHAT?!"

The birds that had gathered around the grounds instantly took off, flapping their wings as fast as they could, desperate to get out of the danger zone.

Fierce and firey brown eyes met smug cerulean ones. Countless thoughts surged and swirled through her head, trying to come up with a suitable excuse to get out of the situation. However, she dismissed every one, none being good enough to even budge Shirogane's statement. In the end, all she could come up with was the art of denial - if she denied everything he threw at her, then maybe, just maybe, he would admit he was mistaken.

Taking up a suitable stance - which consisted of her putting her hands on her hips and forcing her face into a blank expression - she retorted, "Shirogane, I'm afraid I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

She grinned inwardly when it seemed to have worked. Ryou's expression also changed, though to one of confusion. Seeing his puzzlement, she automatically thought she had won. Poor Ichi - she does realise this is _Ryou _we're talking about, doesn't she?

"So I don't know where you got the idea I would agree to that, because obviously I --"

"Strawberry," Ryou cut in. "Do you honestly think I'm that stupid? I'm not a baka like you, you know."

Her face fell. He had a point. He knew she was lying.

Her eyes narrowed to a glare, directed at him, daggers coming out of them. If looks could kill, Ryou would be dead by now. Actually he would have been dead a long time ago - probably the day he met Ichigo Momomiya.

She was speechless, not having a clue what to say next. As her gaze continued to bore into him, she realised that there was no way out of it. No matter what she did she would end up doing his bidding. Maybe, just maybe…

"I never knew Koneko-chan had promised to do that!" Kish cried, his eyes going wide and his jaw dropping.

"For good reason," Ryou smirked. "Knowing you, you'd probably have her dress in a bikini and fan you or something."

"…Yeah, I guess your right," he admitted, a mischievous grin etched onto his face.

"This is going to be fun," Minto said slyly, a smug look covering her features.

In response, she received the glare previously thrown at Ryou.

Turning her attention back to the blond boy, Ichigo sighed. "When do I start?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"Now."

"But --"

Ryou raised his eyebrow and instantly Ichigo returned to silence. He smirked at her eventual cooperation and twisted round, gesturing for the others to follow him inside the huge building. Minto, along with Kish and Tart did so immediately, however, the catgirl lingered behind. After muttering a complaint under her breath, she pouted and made her way into the mansion, vision directed towards the ground, trusting her instincts to lead her inside without anything going wrong leaving her in a bush or something. Because knowing her, it was all too likely to happen…

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SCREEEEEEEECH!

Twisting the steering wheel round in his hands, Keiichiro attempted to maneuver the car safely into the driveway. Of course, turning the wheel that fast can cause several problems, one of which being that the vehicle will jerk around the corner abruptly and forcefully. Another being that, although wearing seatbelts, the passengers in the car are most likely going to smack into any near surface.

Pulling herself off of Zakuro's lap where she had fallen, Purin moaned quietly, "Owie, na no da."

Putting a hand to her head, the model rubbed it, having hit it against the window pretty hard. The cheerful baker was unaware of the damage he was causing the three girls and alien.

Groaning, Zakuro asked, "Are we almost there yet?"

"Yes. Actually, we _are_ here," Keiichiro answered, shooting her one of his charming smiles.

Opening her eyes, she gazed out the car window. What she saw almost made her eyes pop out of her head. And that's saying something, considering it's Zakuro Fujiwara.

"This can't be…it's huge!" she exclaimed, slightly shocked by the building that stood in front of her. The structure was one of the largest she had ever witnessed built for it's purpose. The castle-like features awed her, it's perfectly carved arched windows, though filled with coloured glass, adding to that effect. The gardens stretched for miles, their lush green shade contrasting nicely with the aquatic hue of the sky. The blue blanket had several clouds scattered here and there, shaped like fluffy candyfloss and drifting lazily like fish in an ocean. She admired the scene as if it were a canvas painted with magnificent detail.

"Wow, na no da," came a voice from beside her. Zakuro nodded her head, silently agreeing with Purin. Retasu also seemed to be amazed by the 'house' and, though he didn't admit it, Pai was slightly taken aback by it.

Smiling, Keiichiro told them politely to go inside. They did so, walking down the graveled driveway up to the silver metal doors that allowed them entrance.

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If she thought the _outside _was brilliant, the _inside _seemed even more fantastic. The marble floors and glass steps were only the start - tapestries weaved with such care and preciseness hung from any available wall, some even on the ceiling. The walls themselves had tiny chips of jade, opal and amber lodged into them that gave off glimmers and twinkles when the light hit them a certain way. And that was only in the entrance hall.

So far, Ichigo hadn't seen the rest of the Shirogane Palace (as she had now taken to calling it) apart from the room she had been given for the duration of their stay. It's silk curtains fluttered slightly, the open window enabling wind to enter and rush about the chamber. Eyes closed, Ichigo lay back on the four poster bed, leaving the canopy open, taking in the serenity of the place as she lightly dozed. She had been that way for about ten minutes, after unpacking most of her possessions and shooing an overly hyper Kish away, back to his own room.

The girl would have had no idea whether or not her other friends had arrived, seeing as she had not left the room, had Ryou not poked his head round the door, informing her that they were here. He had also told her to meet him downstairs as soon as she was done unpacking. Something which she finished a while ago.

The boy himself was growing increasingly annoyed. She was late, again. But this time she was in the same building! How on earth anyone could be late when all they had to do was come down the stairs, he would never know. Sighing, he thought he may aswell just go and get her. For one, it would take away his impatience and maybe even present a laugh for him. After all, it _was _funny to irritate her, especially when she ran out of ideas for comebacks.

So, traipsing up the smooth glass steps, Ryou made his way to Ichigo's room. He strolled along the corridor and made his way to her door. Reaching it, he grabbed the handle and was about to push it open when he realised something - she may be in the middle of, well, changing. So, in a strained effort to give Ichigo some privacy, he rapped lightly on the solid wooden surface with his knuckles and waited for a response. The only one he received was a sleepy murmur. Then a few moments later, a call of, "Come in!" rang out, and he obliged the somewhat command. Stepping inside, Ryou immediately noticed her - lying on the bed, eyes closed, arms thrown back above her head, her chest rising and falling slowly in rhythmic breaths. In an instant, his anger rose.

"Strawberry. What do you think you're doing?" he asked her coolly, not letting his emotions show through. Placing his hands on his hips, he then proceeded to glare at the relaxed girl. He watched as she stretched and gave a slight yawn before turning onto her side to face him. However, her eyelids remained tightly shut.

"Having a cat nap," she replied without hesitation.

"And can you remember what you're supposed to be doing?"

"Anou…" Her eyes fluttered open now, revealing her hazel irises to him as she tried to remember. "I was…supposed to…" she trailed off as it hit her. Gulping, she looked at Ryou's face. He didn't seem all that impressed. Taking a deep breath, she finished her sentence. Sheepishly she said, "…meet you downstairs." A nervous smile crept over her features. _Maybe he'll forgive me, _she thought. But as she continued to stare at him, she noticed that he didn't look like he was in a forgiving mood.

He shook his head and walked over to her. Sitting up she braced herself for his shouts. Of course, he just had to pick a different way to do things…

As soon as he reached the bed he lunged at her. Tackling her back into a horizontal position, he pinned her down so she couldn't move. Now having the advantage as he was on top of her, he began his merciless act. Using his legs to keep her still, he started tickling her. She struggled determinedly, both in trying to get away and in containing her laughter. But Ryou had a strong hold which she couldn't break. And it was getting really hard to stop her giggles…

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Downstairs, all anyone could hear were the shrieks and squeals emitting from the red-head. Minto shook her head with a sly smile. This was a sign that it would definitely be an interesting holiday.

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"Shi-Shi-Shirogane! Stop!" laughed Ichigo. She had now given up on her squirming, knowing that he was much stronger than her meaning she had absolutely no chance of freeing herself. So, she had resorted to begging, completely destroying her dignity. Currently though, there was no luck.

"Enough! Enough! Please stop!"

"Nope. If you honestly think you can stand me up and get away with it: you're wrong," he said in reply to her pleas.

"It…it's not like we…we were going on a-a date or anything!" she managed to say amongst her constant laughing.

"Hmm, weren't we?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, his expression calm, though a slight smirk played itself across his features.

At his comment, she immediately stopped still. Her cheeks became bright red and her eyes widened. _Poof! Poof! _

He grinned slyly at her. "Do you know how fun it is to tease you?"

Ichigo's mouth hung open. He'd done that to wind her up. _How come he knows exactly how to press my buttons?! _

"By the way," he began as he got off of her, now that their tickling session was over. "...Your cat ears are showing."

"Eep!" she squeaked, slapping her hands over the furry things atop her head to try and get rid of them. Her blush deepened, and for a moment she forgot she was supposed to be angry with him. But a moment doesn't last long.

"Shirogane you are such a JERK!!" she yelled, jumping up to her feet and grabbing the nearest object. Poor Ryou. She'd managed to get a hold of several of her shoes. Raising her arm, she took aim and sent one hurling across the room at him. Holding his hands in front of his face for protection and jumping to the side, he was only just able to dodge the flying pink boot. And that was only the first one…

A few minutes later, she was growing tired of throwing things and always missing her target. So, stopping, she fell to the bed, panting a little. Ryou walked over to the bed and too collapsed onto it - right next to Ichigo. They lay side by side for a while in a comfortable silence. Ichigo sighed and her eyelids fluttered closed. She started to breathe deeply, indicating she was attempting to enter a world of sleep. Of course, Ryou saw this and refused to let her. He was about to prod her, however, he suddenly got an evil idea. Moving closer to her, he placed one arm over her. But he was shocked when she grabbed it and held onto it.

_Please don't tell me she's asleep already, _he thought and let out a groan.

Looking at her peaceful face, he realised she was. So, he decided to go with his original plan and began prodding her in the shoulder. She stirred, making cat noises as she did so, but remained seemingly asleep. However, she was far from it.

Ryou sighed. There was only one thing left to do. He would have to kiss her.

Leaning over, he placed his lips on top of hers. Her eyes shot open and she struggled. But he kept his mouth firmly placed over hers. Seconds later, she stopped her squirming and began responding. As soon as she did though, he pulled away.

"Baka," he murmured and stood up.

Her cheeks lit up a deep shade of crimson and her cat accessories popped out. _How could he --?! _

She glared at him and pouted, folding her arms across her chest and turning to face the other direction.

"Oh, and I want you to start your little promise now, ok?" he said, not really intending it as a question.

She was about to protest when he spoke again, "You promised me, Strawberry."

She hung her head and muttered what sounded to him like an agreement. Smirking, he left the room and silently she followed.

"What do you want me to do first then?" she asked as they walked along the hallways. He wouldn't answer her for a while, but when they approached a rather large silver door, he halted and turned to her. "Well, I was thinking that you could…"

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**A/N: **I actually started typing this as soon as I finished the last chapter I posted. It just took a while. Sorry. But it's finally up so I hope you enjoyed it!! Thankx to everyone who reviewed!! I'll update ASAP!!


	4. Very Important AN!

I know this isn't a chapter at all, and I'm really sorry about that

I know this isn't a chapter at all, and I'm really sorry about that. I just need to know if anyone is still interested in reading this story, seeing as I haven't updated in about five months. I'm putting a poll on my profile, so if you do or don't want to read, please vote so I'll know. It'll only be up for a couple of days so if you want it updated, I should be posting another chapter at the weekend.

Also, if I do post another chapter, this A/N will be taken down and replaced with the proper chapter.

KO xoxo


	5. Unspoken Discoveries

Here's the next chapter on time as promised! The majority of the vote was for me to update (I actually got 20 votes saying yes) and, if you want to see an update sometime soon, I'll need ideas for what Ichigo could possibly do. It's the main reason for why this fanfic hasn't been updated for so long. But thanks to everyone who encouraged me to post another chapter - I honestly didn't think anyone would be bothered seeing as it's been over 5 months since I posted the last one.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure you want to read the actual story and not listen to my constant blabbering. Special thanks to my friend, **clarklit05 (Laura)**,who has been pushing me to get everything typed up for the past few hours!

Disclaimer: I don't own TMM, end of story.

Chapter 4

Unspoken Discoveries

"I was thinking that maybe you could…"

Ichigo gulped. He had an evil look in his eyes. The one he always got before he made her do something she swore that afterwards she would never do again.

Ryou turned, taking out two solid silver keys. Scanning them briefly, he placed one back in his pocket, then moved the other so that Ichigo had a better view of it. It looked old and rusted, it's shape twisted in a creepy manner; the edges jagged and seemingly spiked, as if it had been designed that way to cut someone. It's head was molded into a long, thin, rough loop and Ichigo was surprised as to how Ryou could stand to hold it. Surely it was hurting him, right? The key's exterior was slightly prickly, like a brick's and she knew she would hate to have a grip on it for long. Shaking his head at her amused expression, he stepped forward and inserted the key into the lock. Then he kicked open the door that stood in front of them. "…Clean this."

Ichigo's mouth almost dropped off. Was this a joke? Surely it had to be. He couldn't make her…_clean this room_. It would be impossible. Every surface must have been covered in at least a couple inches of dust, suffocating whatever lay beneath the coating. The windows, unlike all the rest in the 'mansion' were grimy and opaque, the dirt having blocked any way of seeing through them at all. The rug that lay in the middle of the room had fluff strewn all over it and the wooden floor had patches from spillages and someone trooping mud through it. Several cobwebs lined the ceiling, clinging to the above wall as if decorations, adding to the creepy atmosphere Ichigo could feel building up.

She turned around to protest, but found herself coming face to face with an empty corridor. "Shirogane?" she called, poking her head back out the door. He was nowhere. She stepped out into the hall, glancing first left, then right. Scratching her head puzzledly, she failed to notice the shadow that fell from behind her as she faced one way.

"Boo."

Even though it was said with little to no enthusiasm, the red-head still found herself a foot or two in the air seconds later. As she jumped, she spun, turning and landing in the opposite direction. Not really prepared for it, she wobbled before falling. But did she hit the ground? Nope. She ended up right in Ryou's arms. Her head was flat against his chest and she was more or less standing, albeit slightly leant over to the point where she could quite easily fall. Instantly, her cheeks mimicked her hair and she dared a glance upwards, only to be greeted with the boy's highly amused expression. With an eyebrow raised, he asked, "Were you planning that, hmm, Strawberry?"

"N-no," she stuttered, all of a sudden nervous. Her eyes continued to bore into him, subconsciously regarding him until she realised what she was doing and tore her gaze away.

_'W-what?' _she thought. '…_Oh, please don't say it's happening again.'_

Ryou just carried on watching her with interest. She was pulling faces, mouthing things and if he wanted to, Ryou was sure he could probably lip-read what she was inaudibly muttering. But…he felt the task was too much and really just wanted to set her to work and go relax for a while. Bringing them here had not been out of pure kindness. However, it was best if his reasons remained to himself. He hadn't even told Keiichiro. He just hoped that, being the oblivious little catty thing she was, Ichigo wouldn't notice if he put her right in front of some evidence.

Closing his eyes, he smirked, pushing her away from him which caused her to fall to the ground. Landing, she shrieked, letting out a string of mild curses directed towards him. Looking up, she pouted, narrowing her eyes. But her orbs widened confusedly as he shrugged and handed her a bucket, which contained disinfectants and other cleaning serums and tools.

"Now, get to work baka," he ordered, watching her while she took the object. Her expression changed, taking on a one of dawning. Anger began to shade that out though and she hissed, glowering darkly at him. Ryou merely laughed, reminding her of her promise. Sighing in defeat, she stood and scuffled back into the room, letting Ryou close the door behind her.

Glancing around once more, she shook her head before starting what she found to be the easiest task.

--

"Yay!"

_SPLASH! _

"Purin!"

Tart stared down at his now soaking clothes, frowning before shifting his attention to the cause of the problem. The small, yellow monkey-girl bobbed up and down in the water, a foam float placed under her chin, keeping her from sinking. She gazed at the boy sweetly, innocently, as if she had done nothing wrong. The mischievous grin plastered across her face, however, was a complete give-away that the stunt had been on purpose.

Zakuro shook her head, choosing to ignore both the children and the chatting Minto that lay beside her on the pale yellow sun lounger. The ballerina just kept talking and talking, obviously trying to impress the clearly unimpressed model as she lay by the side of the pool, eyes closed and attempting to get a tan.

The sun was warm, the skies clear, the breeze relaxing, the noise unbearable. Purin kept squealing and splashing Tart, who in turn yelled, but his amusement at her antics was undeniable. Retasu kept staring at the water silently, however, she screamed rather loudly when Kish came up behind her and pushed her in. Which is when Pai and Keiichiro began to tell him off. Zakuro groaned, trying to block all of this out, and she would have succeeded had it not been for the girl a foot away from her.

Flipping onto her stomach, she tried her best to make it look like she wasn't listening without being rude about it. However, it failed to cease the constant drone of gossip working it's way from Minto's mouth. She opened her eyes now, the glaring sun that she had had to shield them from no longer being an issue, as it was not within her vision.

Her gaze was rested a little upwards, though not entirely. Taking an arm from her side, she used it to prop her cheek in her hand, letting the heavy weight fall upon it and breathing out a sigh of laziness. The pool was built onto a deck by the edge of a small drop, the surrounding paving stones leading up to the rim where a railing ran round, protecting any who chose to go near it. The view, as they were quite high up, was breathtaking. She could see the enormous gardens more clearly; the fields and flowers and water features that each one held. The aura of the whole place portrayed an ethereal feeling as the clear blue skies transformed into a golden hue. Orange, pink, purple and red were painted across it, the colours acting as a finale for the dying rays of the sun as it made it's decent.

For a few seconds, she remained still and silent, the sounds and commotion around her fading as she was sucked into the moment. Tranquility and peace overtook her for but a second, until a pair of legs stepped in front of her and a masculine voice spoke.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Raising her head, she stared at the young man towering over her and replied, "Yes. But is that really all you wanted to ask me?"

Ignoring her comment, the blonde sat on the empty sun lounger beside Zakuro's own, and it was only then that the model thankfully realised that Minto had left, giving up in her attempts to get a conversation out of the wolf-infused model.

"The serenity here is nice. And the almost silence is a bit of a difference from the volume of Tokyo. It would be a good place to live, work maybe?" he said, his voice close to a whisper. His eyes cast out toward the fields in thought, as if considering something. He opened his mouth to speak again, but let it slowly close. He seemed to be searching for the right thing to say, Zakuro noted. He obviously didn't want to give too much away. A sudden curiousity coursed through her and it took all of her will to quell it, knowing that Ryou was not very open about plans or motives.

Giving her head a brief shake, she replied, "It would be a better place for thinking, or even research. But living all the way out here, so far from everyone, even I would get lonely." She paused for a while, letting the concept of what she had spoken sink in, before preparing to speak again. However, he cut in.

"But you're a loner; you _want _to be one your own, away from others. You like it that way - keeping to yourself, not opening up. Are you honestly telling me that you would prefer to be around others, despite feeling the need to be alone?"

She shook her head. "Wanting to be alone and keeping to yourself are completely different matters, Shirogane-san. You can be in the company of others and keep issues bottled up inside. But having no-one around you, no-one to talk to when you do feel like saying something; wouldn't that get a bit depressing? And before you suggest a phone, that doesn't count."

He looked at her, coming to terms with her reasoning. Pursing his lips, he stood, offering a brief thank you and turning to face the direction of the building. But he hadn't gone very far when Zakuro called out, "Now, are you going to tell me what that was all about? Or do I have to come to my own conclusion for your actions?"

He stopped abruptly when he heard her voice, however, simply continued to walk away after she had finished speaking. He wasn't going to tell her, not yet. No-one need find out until he was sure of his decision.

--

Meanwhile, back with Ichigo, things weren't exactly going to plan.

She stumbled once again, losing her footing for the millionth time in the mess that was gathered on the floor. Her cleaning items were dispersed throughout the room, along with the many other objects that had caught her interest. She kept stopping to finger things, or to move them and would get lost in looking them over. Or reading through them, as many were books, although she mainly leafed through the first few pages then returned them to where she had found them.

The room was still a pigsty, appearing as if a bomb had hit it and thrown the contents all over. So far, she had managed to clean the windows enough to see out of them vaguely, though they would need another go at scrubbing them to get them sparkling. The floor, despite being littered with objects, was clean now. Currently, she was in the middle of dusting. Well, literally, she was in the middle of the floor, pouting at falling on her butt once again.

Groaning, and muttering curses under her breath (which seemed to relate to her boss), she considered staying there for a while due to her exhaustion, but thought better of it and rose from her position, grabbing her cloth and setting off back to work.

"This is taking longer than I thought it would, nya," she moaned to herself. A cat-like yawn escaped her lips as she shifted her focus to the long, arced window. The sunset was beautiful, capturing her attention instantly. She stared at it in awe. The glowing colours reminded her that it was getting late and she was tired. Though it couldn't have been too much into the evening as she had not yet been called down for dinner. There was no clock in the room, she had found, so telling the time was impossible. At least the sun could give away what it was heading to.

Deciding that she deserved break, Ichigo made her way to the bed and perched herself on the end of it, eyes remaining upon the window and the fascination outside of it.

She leaned back, propping her hands behind her to keep her upright. Startled, she moved her hands away from the spot. There was something under there that she hadn't noticed earlier. Twisting her body round so that she was on her hands and knees atop the bed, she reached over and pulled back the duvet, revealing the item placed beneath it. A thick, black file sat there, it's cover unusually shiny. Ichigo lifted it up, inspecting it as she did so. It was not dirty, in fact it was relatively clean. Almost seeming as if someone had been in the room and used it before she came in. The bed, she noticed, did not have an indent in it like it should have if the file had been there for a long time. Which only lead Ichigo further into her suspicions…

Whatever it was, it was important. A bind had been placed around it, sealed with a padlock. The key had to be somewhere…But where? She could scour the room, as it was most likely in there. It would take an awfully long time - and she was pretty sure that Ryou would scold her for not doing as she was asked earlier - but it must be in the chamber. Otherwise, it was probably on the person who had the file last. Mentally, she slapped herself. This was none of her business and she knew she should leave whatever it was alone. She was obviously not meant to find the object in the first place. But no matter how hard she tried to convince herself, Ichigo realised that it was no use. She _had _to find out what was inside the folder. After all, it was curiousity that killed the cat…

--

**A/N: **Well, not the way I'd planned it to go originally, but I felt the twist would be more entertaining seeing as this was rather boring. I just wanted to start out with lighter things for Ichigo to do, then build up to really embarrassing stuff. And it seems shorter than normal, but I swear I'm writing the same amount of words.

Review if you want an update soon!

KO xoxo


	6. Doom in Dress Sense

**A/N: …Please don't eat me? I'm sorry, it should have been up a long, long, long time ago. But I had major writer's block for this. I've written flat-out all day, hoping to get this up. And it's an especially long chapter to make up for the wait. **

**Chapter dedicated to Tomoyo Kinomoto for being my 100th reviewer for this story! Also dedicated to Cherrie-Sakura for graduating! **

**I'm pretty sure you don't want to listen to my rambling any further, so I'll shut up now.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMM. Nor do I own Hello Kitty. **

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 5 

Doom in Dress Sense

Why was it that Ichigo's luck always seemed to run out before she was ready?

Like right now, for instance. She was currently sprawled across the floor, arms stretched forward and legs kicking about in mid-air. Well, they _were_ kicking - now, however, they seemed to be frozen stiff. Her whole body, in fact, was motionless, save for her black, fuzzy cat ears that had popped out at the sudden noise. They twitched and they strained, listening closely for another indication that what she thought she had just heard was not a figment of her imagination.

And surely enough, the quiet tap-tapping of footsteps echoed outside the room, growing louder and more ominous with each passing second. Darting her eyes wildly to and fro, Ichigo realised that she needed to move. The room was a mess still, and she was laid in the middle of it. Whoever was coming would surely presume she was up to something. Which was when it hit her. It could be Ryou.

Scrambling to her feet, Ichigo grabbed a handful of things and chucked them under the bed in a desperate attempt to make the room look tidier, and _not _as though she had been thoroughly searching it. Then, dashing off again, she stopped and stooped, snatching up several books and hastily shoving them back on the long shelf that ran along half of one wall.

One last glance around, and Ichigo was far from satisfied. Nothing was really where it was supposed to be. But there wasn't much she could do about it, especially since the footsteps seemed to have halted outside the door. A gasp escaped her lips as the handle turned, and she winced, bracing herself for the yelling she was about to receive from her blonde boss.

She squeezed her eyes shut, clenching her hands into fists at her sides. A tooth managed to find it's way to her lip and she bit down hard, as the door swung open and the person entered.

"What are you doing?"

Confusion swept over Ichigo's face, the tension in her body disappearing. She raised her head from its slightly tilted position, blinking several times as she stared at the newcomer.

"Tart?"

"Yes, it's me. Who'd you think it was? Santa Claus?

"Well, no, but… it's you."

The young alien sighed. Clearly someone was having a hard time thinking today. Folding his arms across his chest, Tart began to inspect the room, as Ryou had ordered him to. Normally, he wouldn't listen to anyone, but this task had the added bonus of bossing the catgirl around if she had failed to clean the room to a good enough standard. He smirked, noting she hadn't. But as he opened his mouth to announce this, a black, square object on the bed caught his attention.

"What's that?" he asked, cocking his head to one side. Ichigo whipped her head around, trailing his line of vision. She gasped. The black file! She'd forgotten to re-hide it.

"Um…nothing!" she replied quickly, waving her arms in front of her face and slowly backing up to the bed. Tart merely raised an eyebrow, not buying it for one second.

"So if it's nothing…" he began. She paused, gulping, knowing what was about to come. "…why are you trying to grab it before I do?" With that he disappeared, reappearing beside the bed where the file lay.

"Tart! No!" Ichigo cried, driving forward and landing on the bed. But she realised, to her dismay, that the alien had reached out and taken hold of the book before she had the chance. She let her head fall onto the duvet. Groaning, she mumbled something incoherent, on the verge of giving up. Things couldn't get any worse, could they? A rattling above her head drew her attention back to Tart. Propping one arm up and leaning her head in her hand, she sighed.

"What are you doing?" she asked, not bothering to look up.

"Trying…uhn…to get…urrgh…into this thing!" he replied, panting slightly. Puzzled, Ichigo turned to face him, and found herself having to suppress a laugh. He was heaving on the back and front of the book in an attempt to get it open, his face reddening with the effort. The file wasn't giving though, even as he strained, pulling the ends apart as far as he could.

But Tart caught sight of the look on Ichigo's face - a cross between a smirk and pure joy - and his own features darkened. He growled, before yelling. "What?! You think _you _can open this?! Go on then, you old hag, try!!"

To say the red-head was taken-aback by the outburst would be an understatement. Her eyes were wide and her mouth hung agape. Sure, he shouted at her sometimes, but he never… _exploded_ at her before. He noticed this, a sudden feeling of guilt washing over him. A faint blush covered his cheeks at the thought of apologizing. He didn't really want to, pride getting in the way. Instead, he just shook his head, muttering, "I'll go ask Shirogane to open it."

Ichigo was startled out of her shock, crying, "No!"

Tart halted, hovering in the middle of the room. "And why not?" he asked, suspiciously.

Ichigo instantly realised her mistake, racking her brains for some sort of excuse. "B-because! I bet he's super busy, and he won't want to be disturbed!"

"Oh, if that's the case, why did he send me to check on you? And why did he ask me to go back and see him once I had?" He stuck his tongue out.

"Yes, but… oh, I've got nothing. Just please don't, Tart! I don't think I was supposed to find that in the first place." She bowed her head in defeat, silently praying that the small alien would let her off this time. No such luck.

"Hmm…nope. I'm going to Shirogane." As soon as the words left his lips, he faded, teleporting out of the room.

"Tart!" she cried, in a last effort to stop him. Sinking to her knees, she groaned again, her eyes scanning the chamber. Well, if she actually tidied the rest of the mess, then maybe he wouldn't be so mad.

* * *

The sun had long since set when she eventually finished. Wiping sweat from her brow, Ichigo gave a catish yawn, flopping to the floor in exhaustion. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply, not resisting the urge to fall into a peaceful slumber. A smile tugged the corners of her lips, parting slightly to release a relaxed mew.

However, her face creased with disappointment at the sound of the door opening and someone entering the room. Remaining where she was, she waited patiently for the other to speak, intent on keeping her eyes shut. But a sudden yanking on her arm caused them to snap open and her head to shoot upwards, colliding with whomever was above her.

"Ow!" she exclaimed, rubbing the spot that had been hit.

"Who knew you had such a hard head, Strawberry?" said a voice above her, with a pained moan. She immediately directed her gaze upwards, staring in horror at the blonde boy.

Gulping, she dared to speak, "Um…hey Shirogane. What's up? Eh heh heh…"

He stared back at her, confused at her behaviour for a moment, but simply shook it off. Straightening himself, he extended a hand and she took it, albeit a bit reluctantly. He was acting normal, but Ichigo couldn't shake the feeling that he knew. Has Tart really gone to see him about the black file?

"So… you've actually done a pretty good job of this room. I didn't expect that from you," he said, chuckling.

She scowled, hissing, "Jerk!" Her hands flew to her hips, and she stuck her tongue out childishly. Ryou raised an eyebrow and turned away, continuing his surveillance of the room. He nodded his head, more to himself, rather than her, noting she had indeed done better than he had previously thought. So, it seemed as though her next task would have to be less humiliating. But not by much.

"Did you just come to see how I was doing with the room?" Ichigo asked, drawing Ryou's attention back to her. She sounded somewhat nervous, though about what, he couldn't place.

"No," he began, pausing a moment. "Keiichiro finished making dinner, so I came to fetch you."

"Fetch me? Since when are you so nice?" she asked, confused.

He chuckled again. "Oh, I'm not Strawberry. I'm not." This only proceeded to puzzle her further, her nose scrunching up like a rabbit's would. Naturally, Ryou felt he had to do something to lift her confusion, so he strode into the hall returning seconds later clutching a black bag.

He kept walking, stopping short as he reached her and held out the bag in front of him. She took it cautiously, both of their hands grasping the object for a little longer than necessary. Finally, he let go, backing away from the girl and making his way, once again, out of the room.

"Don't open it until I'm far enough away!" he called as he crossed the corridor and headed for the stairs that would take him back to the others.

"Um, hello? Shirogane? What am I supposed to do with…whatever it is?" he heard her yell from inside the chamber. He chuckled, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"You'll know when you see it, Strawberry!"

For a moment after, everything was silent. Ryou presumed she had spilled the contents of the bag and was now staring, dumbfounded, at it all. Then, she would cock her head to the side cutely, trying to figure out his intentions. After that would be when she'd be getting some form of intelligence back, piecing two and two together on what he was implying she needed to do. And now would be about the time when she screamed…

"SHIROGANE!"

Just as he'd predicted. A sadistic laugh escaped him and he began his way down the stairs, ignoring her cries of protest and the several banging noises, which he guessed she was making. Now dinner was going to be especially interesting...

* * *

Retasu sat silently at the dining table, arms folded politely in her lap, not wanting to join in with the fickle chit-chat of her friends. Truth be told, she didn't entirely know what to say; currently, Minto was expressing her love for a new fashion line that would be coming out in the autumn, whilst a normally indifferent Zakuro listened with a pained expression. Obviously, she already knew all about the subject. Either that, or she really didn't want to be sat next to the eager, blue-haired girl for more than an hour while they ate. On the other side of the table, Tart was being harassed by an overly-hyper Purin, her constant grinning and glomping getting the better of him. His face was bright red, though if it was out of anger or humiliation, Retasu couldn't tell. Kish was sniggering to himself as he watched the two of them, Ryou shaking his head at the alien's actions as he entered the room, immediately taking a seat at the left hand-side of the top of the table. Keiichiro was still somewhere in the kitchen, applying the finishing touches to his edible creation, and Ichigo was most likely still upstairs. So it seemed to Retasu, as she glanced around, that Pai was the only one whose whereabouts escaped her.

She sighed, and not having anything better to do, started taking in the appearance of the dining hall. Three of the walls were a dark, polished wood, leaving the other as a single, enormous pane of glass, through which Retasu could see a sparkling pond, filled to the brim with shimmering, sapphire water and darkened koi fish. Many bunches of reeds protruded from the water's edge, standing tall against the lower level of grass. The sky was now a deep navy, almost ebony, the moon being the only outdoor light source she could see.

On the other walls of the room hung portraits and pictures, beautifully painted with what appeared to be, from the distance the intellectual girl sat, high quality paints. Which would also make them quite expensive. She cringed slightly, her mind briefly considering as to what would befall them if one of her younger friends were to get a hold of them. Or if she herself managed to clumsily stumble and knock them off their hooks. The thought wasn't a particularly nice one, so she quickly shook her head, before continuing with her observation.

Small light shades were attached to each corner of the room, turned upwards so the light was directed at the ceiling. They were dimmed, leaving only a faint glow to linger inside. Several candles were laid on the table, providing another light source, though she guessed the flames would be put out before long, no-one really trusting Purin or Tart not to burn themselves.

The long table sat in the middle of the rather large room, a white cloth placed upon it and everyone seated around it. From the top left sat Ryou, then Kish, Purin and Tart. A space was left at the bottom end of the table, then it rounded back up with herself, an empty seat, Zakuro and then Minto. The top of the table had also been left empty.

Retasu bowed her head to her lap, as there was nothing more to the dining hall. Instead, she was plunged into her musings as to who of the missing three would be positioned where. However, she was abruptly jolted out of her thoughts when she felt a tap on her shoulder, and she whipped her head around to see who it was. She gasped when she saw Pai looming above her, and without realising it, edged to the end of her chair, causing her to lose her balance and almost fall off. She flailed about a bit, attempting to regain her balance, when a pale hand shot out and grabbed a hold of her wrist, clutching it tightly so she didn't tumble off. Retasu looked up, blushing a little at Pai's grip on her, before stuttering a thank you and forcing herself back upright. His expression remained indifferent as he moved to her right and took the empty chair. The scarlet that tinged her cheeks burned brighter as he turned to her and she found herself having a strange fascination with the carpet to avoid meeting his eyes.

"Anou….why are you here, Pai-san?" she asked nervously. Talking had never been her strong point, and making conversation with the elder, even more intelligent alien was more than nerve-racking for her. She just never knew what to say that, she thought, wouldn't make her appear to be a babbling idiot. Little did she know, her friends considered her otherwise.

As he opened her mouth to speak, however, there was a commotion at the door. Seconds later it burst open to reveal… Retasu slapped her hands to her mouth, stifling both a gasp and an oncoming fit of laughter. That…It couldn't be…

Ichigo stood in the doorway, glaring daggers at the occupants, though the effect wasn't felt. In all honesty, not even a monkey would take her seriously whilst she was dressed in _that_. A neon yellow top adorned her torso, the words 'Shirogane rules my ass!' written in royal blue. From her hips hung a bright cyan tutu, striped tights in pink and green and a pair of slippers on her feet. Only the slippers were children-styled ones, with huge Hello Kitty faces attached to the top of each shoe. A pair of gloves in the shape of a cats paw hung over her hands, a pair of glittery fairy wings protruded from her back and a cat collar wrapped around her neck. But, the thing that finished the look off completely, was the huge sombrero that was placed atop her head, the sheer size of it meaning it slipped down and partly covered her face if she didn't push it back up.

The smirk that tugged at the corners of Ryou's lips only angered the catgirl more. But it was the sudden eruption of laughter that really threw her over the edge. Her cheeks went a deep crimson as she watched all her friends double over. Kish had fallen off his seat and was now rolling on the floor, clutching his stomach, Tart close to doing the same. Tears were streaming down Minto's cheeks, and even Zakuro was laughing freely, her head tilted back slightly in amusement. Purin's face was acquiring a pink pigment due to the effort of laughing so much. And Retasu and Pai were chuckling to themselves.

"It's not funny!" she whined, clenching her pawed hands into fists at her sides and stomping her foot childishly.

"But Koneko-chan! It is!" exclaimed Kish in a miraculous gap between his howls.

Again, Ichigo attempted to glare, but found she couldn't pull it off. Instead, she pouted and made her way to the empty seat at the bottom of the table.

"Baka Strawberry! You're chair is at this end," Ryou called. She swiveled around, opening her mouth to argue, but seeing him simply raise an eyebrow, she saw no point. At the moment, she didn't feel like arguing. Just getting this humiliation over with as fast and painlessly as possible. Which she knew, with her friends, wasn't going to happen. But there was always hope.

"Oh my gosh, Ichigo, couldn't you have dressed any better for dinner? Or did your wardrobe get switched with a clowns?" Minto snorted amidst giggles.

…Or maybe all hope was already lost.

She trudged to her seat, plonking down on it and folding her arms across her chest huffily. She closed her eyes, but could still hear the snickers. She felt something move down her forehead, and opening her eyes in alarm, found her vision obscured. Suppressing a growl, she raised a hand and pushed the sombrero back up. Why did Shirogane have to make her wear this? And why did it have to be at least_ two _sizes too bigfor her. Fortunately for her, Keiichiro chose that exact moment to enter, walking into the room balancing several plates up his arms.

He circled the table, stopping at each person to place a plate laden with delicious food in front of them. Ichigo sniffed, mouth instantly watering at the intoxicating scent. Once everyone was seated, they began to eat.

Which was when it all began…

"…I can't pick up the fork with these gloves on," Ichigo stated, frowning.

"Why not, Ichigo-san?" Retasu asked.

"The paw-thingies are stopping me! I can't eat my food with them on!" she whined. "Shirogane, can I take them off?"

"No," he said simply, ignoring her pleading eyes.

"Please? I want to eat!" she begged, clasping - or trying to clasp - her hands in front of her chest.

"You're that hungry?"

"Yes, I am!"

"Then use your mouth."

"My wha-?"

"Your mouth, baka. Don't you understand that? Dip your head in and eat it with your mouth."

"I am not going to shove my face in this!"

"You are if you want to eat."

"Ryou, isn't that a little harsh?"

"No, quite frankly Keiichiro, it isn't. She's the one who promised…"

"Oh great, nya…" The idea wasn't tempting, however, the grumbling in her stomach made her reconsider the offer. Giving in, she bent her head forth, grimacing before placing her mouth into her rice and scooping some up.

"I honestly can't believe you just did that," Minto said, a look of disgust crossing her features.

"I didn't exactly have a choice," Ichigo replied, glaring at Ryou, who merely shrugged in response before picking up his fork and starting to eat his own food.

She sighed, muttering, "Jerk." Then, she dipped her head once more, trying to eat again. Only this time, the sombrero caught some of the rice, and as she raised her head, it flicked up and onto Tart's plate.

"You just threw food at me!"

"No I didn't!"

"Your hat did!" Tart yelled, jumping up to his feet atop his chair and pointing accusingly at her.

"Anou…technically, it's a sombrero," Retasu corrected tentatively.

"Whatever it is, it chucked food at me!"

"Then chuck some back, na no da!"

Everyone's eyes immediately turned to Purin. She grinned back, clearly not seeing the same horror in her suggestion as the others did. Tart, on the other hand, smiled evilly, grabbing a handful of noodles from his plate. Taking aim, he pulled his hand back, before rapidly bringing it forward and launching the food across the table. Ichigo looked up just in time to see the airborne noodles heading straight for her…

**A/N: I kinda lost it at the end. Sorry that it wasn't very good, but at least I got it posted, right? I actually had fun writing most of this, though! Which means I've gotten over my writers block! Hopefully…**

**Anyway, I want reviews if you want this story updated! A fair exchange, wouldn't you say? Review and the next chapter may get posted sooner. Well, definitely sooner than about six months. **


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